By Chelsea Royal
Annie Bleiberg grew up in a quiet town on the border of Poland with her parents and one younger sister. But they were kicked out by a force sweeping Europe. In an instant, Bielberg’s pleasant life changed.
“Life was nice,” said Bleiberg, “…and then Hitler came.”
Now married with a daughter and several grandkids, Annie Bleiberg is a survivor of the Holocaust. She spoke at Hofstra on Wednesday for Holocaust Remembrance Day to share her experiences at Auschwitz and how the invasion of the Nazis changed everything.
In January 1943, Bleiberg and her family boarded a train expelling all Jewish people from their location on the Poland border.
Her father was able to pry open a window on the train in hopes of the family’s escape. Bleiberg was the first of her family to jump from the window, where she lay motionless and without an idea of where she was. After waking up to the sound of gunshots, she met a Polish watchman who brought her towards a village. They tried to find shelter and a safe place to stay, but were rejected by all.
“Nobody answered,” said Bleiberg, “But if they did, they said ‘Go away. I’m afraid.'”
She decided to go back to her old home, but was afraid and hid in the attic. Bleiberg heard footsteps and thought she had been discovered, but it was her father. Along with another friend, they decided to hide out in their house until they ventured to find another place to stay.
Gentile friends of the family hid Bleiberg and her father for four weeks, bringing them food once a day and allowing them to bathe and change clothes. One day, their friend came in and told them, “You have to leave.”
Bleiberg managed to get fake Polish papers and tried to assimilate into the Polish society. However, she was pulled out of a group and called out for the false papers. After being beaten, Bleiberg was told that she would be killed the next day. She was separated from her father and taken to a concentration camp. After this camp was shut down, the men were sent to work and the rest were sent to Auschwitz.
“If there was a time to use the word hell, it was then. It was truly hell,” said Bleiberg.
In addition to her number, 38330, she was also identified with a triangle, a sign of big trouble and resistance. Out of 200 girls and boys at the concentration camp, only one girl was taken away to be killed. The rest were saved.
At the concentration camp, the prisoners worked together in order to survive until they were freed by the Russian army.
Despite the anti-Semitism that increased after the war, Bleiberg eventually travelled back to Poland. After about three months, she found out her father had survived and was able to meet up with him.
Bleiberg gives credit to the luck that allowed her to survive. However, luck is not the only thing that makes living more powerful than death.
“Life is so strong, so powerful, and worth fighting for,” said Bleiberg.
For Becky Cuthbertson, the president of Chabad at Hofstra, and 50 audience members at the event, Bleiberg’s testimony showed the importance of remember injustice, and not dismissing it for future generations.
“It reminds us what happened not too long ago and where we have come since; especially because soon there will be no more survivors and the Holocaust will become a distant memory,” said Cuthbertson. “Never forget.”
Hofstra Hillel will conclude this year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day with a memorial name reading in front of Hofstra Hall Thursday.
Additional reporting done by Andrew Wroblewski.
Correction: The printed edition on April 19 did not mention the sponsors of this event. “The Holocaust: A Survivor’s Story” featuring Annie Bleiberg was sponsored by the Jewish Chaplain’s Office and Hofstra Hillel.
Annie Bleiberg speaks about her experiences (Cody Heintz/ The Chronicle)
